Batching mechanism



July 17, 1956 H A SW1-[2ER 2,754,995

BATCHING MECHANISM Filed March 12, 1954 1N V EN TOR. HOWARD A. SWITZER '2,754,995 BATCHING MECHANISM Howard A. Switzer, Pasadena, Calif. Application March 12, 1954, Serial No. 415,790 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-63) This invention relates to improvements in measuring devices which utilize batching wheels.

Industrial installations which use measured quantities of dry materials have need for a measuring device which can be operated continuously, and which can rapidly provide accurately measured quantities lwith the least possible handling of the material being measured. A batching wheel potentiallyvpossesses these'necessary attributes, but

has not been extensively used in the handling of dusty mato jamor clog up.

This invention is carried out in a batch measuring deviceihaving a case with an inlet andan outlet therethrough for admitting and discharging material, respectively, and a hatching wheel inside the case. The batchning wheel has measuring cavities on its outer periphery next to the casing which alternately register with the inlet and the outlet. Interrupter means may, if desired, be provided for stopping the hatching wheel when material to be measured is not present in the inlet.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of flexible wipers at some of the edges of the measuring cavity which will bend to pass an object of inconvenient size, and thereby will reduce the tendency of a hatching wheel to jam such an object between the wheel and the case.

An additional feature resides in the provisions of flexible gasket means which extend between the case and the circumferentially directed Aedges of the cavity, making a sliding contact therebetweeny to confine the material to the measuring cavities.

nited States Patenti-O -An optional feature resides in a flexible shield for covv v ering the interrupter means, if they are used in the measuring device, to substantially exclude material from such means.

The above and other features of the invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of a batch-measuring device incorporating the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View partly in section, taken at line 2 2 of Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of `a fragment vof v1, 'I

also partly in cross-section. l l Y Referring to the drawings, there is shown a batch measuring device having a case 10 mounted on a base 11.

This case comprises 'a cap section 12 having an inner p section, and a tangent section 16v adjacent the inlet. End l plates 17 are joined to the ends ofthe cap and Atangent sections by means such as welding. Aligned holes -18 in the end plates hold bearings 19 inwhich a'drive shaft 20isjournaled. v l i l# .leads to the starter box. .in the circuit so that the motor will start or continue ice A gasket 21 comprising astrip of exible material which may be rubber, is secured inside the case at the circumferential edges of the inner concave surface 13 by retention strips 22 held by bolts 23. These gaskets extend Y around the curved cap section from the Vinlet to the outlet.

A hopper 24 is formed integrally with the case and connects with the inlet. A'recess 25 within and at one side of the inlet is covered with a shield 26. The shield is attached to the hopper Wall above the recess so it hangs down over the recess as a flap. This shield is made of flexible material such as a 3fm" sheet of rubber, and is loose at its bottom edge. A chute 27 dumps material 27a into the hopper, and a discharge chute 28 depends from the outlet.

' A batching wheel 29 fits within the case and is xed to the drive shaft by means of hubs 30. The drive shaft is therefore `the central axis of the wheel, and this shaft also lies on the central axis of the concave surface 13.

` 'I'he wheel has a central, axial cylinder 31 extending beof the case. ,Flexible wipers 35, which may be of 1/2 sheet rubber, are fastened to the outer edge of the vanes,

and, when unexed, extend to a radial distance from the center of the drive shaft greater than the radius of concave surface 13, and therefore can make contact with the case. These wipers are conveniently fastened to the vanes by bolt means.

Measuring cavities 36 are thus formed between the case, the vanes and wipers, the cylinder, and the flanges. These cavities may be of any desired size. The boundaries of the cavity which contact the casing are the wipers, which extend substantially parallel to the wheels central axis to fonn axial edges, and the beads and gaskets, which eX- tend circumferentially around the wheels axis to form pivotally movable in the recess, so disposed that it is in contact with the shield 26. The other arm 44 extends away from the hopper outside the recess and has a mercury switch 45 attached thereto by a strap 46. The switch is a mercury switch for convenience. Some other type of switch could be used. The mercury switch comprises a container 47 enclosing two electrodes k48, 49 and a quantity of mercury 50. Two extreme positions of arm 44 are shown in solid and phantom line in Fig. l.

Electrical leads 51 connect the electrodes 48, 49 to a vmotor starter box 52 of conventional manufacture. A master switch 53 is placed in a main power circuit which The starter box is connected inv operation 'only when the master switch is closed and thev circuit through the mercury switch is completed.

a f vIn operation the master switch is rst closed to apply an electrical potential to the starter box.

When the invterrupter means 40 are in the position shown by solid line in Fig. 1, the motor will not start, for the arm 44 is in lits lower position, and the mercury does not submerge both electrodes 48, 49 to make a complete circuit. Therefore, the electrical continuity in the starter Y, box is broken.- The interrupt'er means assume this position when there is no material in the hopper'topress against shield 26 and thereby lower arm 43 to elevate arm 44.

When material to be measured `iis"fldumpedfintp1the hopper, the shield `and '43lare pressed down'byftheweght of the material` and the mercury switch is tiltedllbyjthe raising of arm 44, as shown in Fig. causcs-the mercury to submergebothoffthe electrodes, andthe power circuit is completelin the startingbox, sothat the motor begins to operate and turn' thewheel. Operation will continue as long 4asf'the` material'bears against the shield and the master switch is closed. Sh'ould the hopper again become emptyrthe`arm44 Vwill fallrand` the power circuit will be broken. To stop the'wheel from coasting after such an event, the motor may be provided with a magnetic'brake, if desired. y j 1 N lt will be appreciated that the shield Z'Gfkeepsfthe material out ofthe recesls 25 and, `away frornfthefarm 43. The weight of the excluded`material'exertslhefneces sary force. ASincethe shield'acts asf'a flap, itr does not materially impede the rise of var'r'ni43 Awhenuthere isninsufficient material in the hopper to Vpress the shield against it. When the powercirc'uitis closed .and the motor oper ares, the sprocket is turned by'the chain 39, andthe batching wheel is rotated in a clockwise sense as shown Fig. l. The rotation of the wheel causes the frmeasuring cavities to register successively `with the inlet and the outlet. y 4 r l As a vane approaches vthe tangent .sectiorlhther wiper stands straight and radiallyioutward. ,This wiperV is vfirst bent back by contact with the tangent ysection 16, and later by contact with the cap lsectiorrlZ. As a given cavity sweeps underthe'inlet,'material dropsninto itquntil the cavity is filled. Afterbeingfillcd, the cavity sweeps along the cap section until it reaches` the outlet., where it drops the contents into chute 28. During the'time the cavity passes from inlet to outlet, its bounding wipers make a continuous Contact with the cap section to hold the material inside the cavity. r Y in the event that a large piece of rockvorbsorneother object of inconvenient size becomes lodged between the edge of the cap section and a vane o^r` wipenthis wheel will not become'jarnmed, since the wiper willsirnply bend back further so as to pass by the object, which drops into the next cavity. i V

The gasket 21 makes continuous contactyvith 4the bead 33. This sealing means alsoy keepsthe materialinside the cavities, a particularly importantfeature when a cavity is full and 4moving in a downward directiomtQ- ward the outlet, since leakage from a full cavityl involves an inaccuracy inthe amount lelivered,A to the chute. These sealing means couldwalsorkbe provided, ,if, desired, by applying the `bead to thecaseand attaching the flexible gasket to the wheel. The failure to provide effective means for suchsealing in previous batching wheels has permitted material toleak, out ,the side s, thereby clogging the mechanism and rendering the wheel inoperative as well as inaccurate.A A

If the wheel rotates where there is insufficient material in the hopper to fill the cavities, the wheel .will lose count by producing unfilled on partially filled batches. When interrupter means are provided to avoid this risk, such means must themselves, be kept free of the material so that the arm 43 can lift to drop the arm 44 andopen the mercury switch, as well as to allow Athe arm 43 `to move downward. If material gets into the recess, the freedom of movement is impaired. The shield 26 furnishes the necessary protection. Itis a simple devicefor such a( purpose, and uses Lthe weight of the material to be excluded as the force for making the sealing means fit snugly. a A y These improvements lthus enable abatching wheel to beused in a reliable measuringdevice which has no in.- he'rent tendency to jam, clog or spill, and which will V"said circumferential 4edges of the cavities; driving means forzrotating the ,wheel; a hopper `interconnecting with vl. batChJnea-suring device comprising: a case having anin1et, noutlfeh, anda concave inner contact surface between said inlet and outlet having a center of curvature; a measuring wheel rotatable around a central faxisnsaid central axis and center of curvature being coincident, and having batch-measuring cavities in it: periphery, said. cavities f having axial edges extending generally parallel to the central axis of the wheel, and circumferential edges extending around said central axis, each of said cavities alternately registering with the inlet and theoutlet as`the, wlheel rotates; flexible wipers atlixed tothe wheelfat the axial edges of the cavities for making a resilient sliding sealybetweenthe measuring wheel and the contact surfaceya flexibleseal between the case and the inlet for discharging material into the cavities; a nonhori'zlontahwall in Vsaid hopper having an opening therein; a flexible llap fixed tousaid hopper wall above said wall opening Vand hanging Vfreely `to cover said opening; and means lfor stopping rotation lof the wheel by the driving means when material is not present in the hopper com- Vprisifng, a counterweighted arm pivotally mounted in said wallopenirigadapted to be swung upwardly and inwardly into said hopper when not forced downwardly and outwardly by weight of material against said flexible flap, and switch means connected to the driving means and actuated in, response to the position of said arm to inter- Yruptdthedriving means when material is not present in the hopper.

2.,i Apparatusaccording,toclaim 1 in which the counterweighted arm is counterweighted by a second arm attached thereto, whereby both arms are pivotally mounted, Aand in which said switc h means comprise a container, twonelectrodcs within the container, and a quantity of li'quidrnercury in said container, said switch means being mounted on said second arm, whereby the container is tilted by p iyotingof thearms by the weight of material in the hopper, against the flap to submerge both electrodes inthe mercury andpermit an electric currentto flow therethrough and operate the drivingmeans, and lwhereby the switch is tiltedby thearms so that themercurydoes, notsubrnerge both ,electrodes when material in the hoppendoes not bear against the flexible flap to f orcedown the counterweighted arm, therebypreventing current flow through the switch and stopping the driving meas 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the nonhorizontal 4wallofthe vhopper is also non-perpendicular and faces upward so that material in the hopper exerts a downward component of force on the flexible flap.

Riefe'l'lenjcves,Cited in the tile of `this patent l UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,276,382 'Fiancis Mar, 17, 1942 2,276,383 Francis Mar. 17, 1942 2,367,311 Reece Jan. 16, 1945 2,428,241 Pootjes Sept. 30, 1947 2,460,605 Soissa Feb. l, 1949 2,539,181 Schillingl Nov. 14, 1950 2,594,974 Myltingi l r c r f l Apr. 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 337,622 Germany June 3, 1921 

